Lady Mt’neers crush Lamar by 20 points, will host Buffalo tomorrow

Mt. Vernon boys basketball picks up two more victories, will head to Forsyth, Friday as district playoff action nears
 
The Lady Mt’neers hosted Cassville on Thursday, Feb 12, but lost to the Lady Cats, 56-38.    
Cassville led 17-11 after the first quarter but in the second quarter, great defense by the Lady Cats prevented Mt. Vernon from mounting much of an offense as they were held to just six points. Cassville scored 16 points in the second quarter to take a 33-18 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Cassville again outscored Mt. Vernon, this time 10-8, to increase their lead to 43-26. The Lady Mt’neers made it close in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 points but Cassville would still get the win.     
Elli Eddington had 12 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
“It was a hard loss against a tough district opponent,” said head coach Alexis Cauthon. “Foul trouble really got the best of us tonight and made it difficult to sustain our rhythm, but our growth is still very evident. We have a few weeks left in the regular season, and we’re going to use every bit of that time to show how far we’ve come and prepare for districts.”
The Lady Mt’neers traveled to Lamar on Monday, Feb. 9 and played their best game of the year, knocking off the Lady Tigers 74-54.    
Mt. Vernon jumped out to an early 20-9 first quarter lead and never looked back. In the second quarter, the Lady
Mt’neers added 18 more points to take a 38-25 halftime lead. A 25-point third quarter put the game out of reach, as Mt. Vernon led 63-35, going into the final quarter of play. Lamar did outscore Mt. Vernon 19-11 in the fourth quarter but it would not matter, as the Lady Mt’neers too home the 20-point win.    
Eddington led Mt. Vernon with 21 points and added eight rebounds and four assists in the win, Mary Fields had 16 points, and Emmie Schubdert delivered a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
“This was a great win and our highest-scoring performance of the year,” said Cauthon. “Our offense was firing on all cylinders because of our unselfishness and ball movement; we shared the ball, and everyone on the floor stepped up to play a vital role. When you combine that offensive flow with top-notch energy and disciplined defense, you get results like this. We need to keep this momentum rolling as we head into the final weeks of the regular season and prepare for districts.”    
The Lady Mt’neers are now 6-14 on the season and were scheduled to play Seneca at home on Monday night before hosting Buffalo tomorrow night.

Boys basketball
The Mt. Vernon High School boys basketball team picked up two big wins last week, knocking off Cassville and Lamar.
On Friday, Feb. 13, the Mt’neers took on Cassville at home and defeated the Wildcats, 54-35.
Mt. Vernon led 13-2 after the first quarter and 26-14 at the half. They continued their great shooting and defense into the second half of the game, outscoring Cassville 15-10 in the third quarter and 13-11 in the fourth quarter to win the game by 19 points.    
Hunter Conway led Mt. Vernon with 20 points and Lucas Schoen added 13 points in the victory.
“This was a great defensive effort by the guys tonight,” said head coach Ryan Worley. “We are at the point in the season where we spend quite a bit of time preparing for opponents through our scouting reports. The players are showing in our last few games the kind of preparation, focus and defensive intensity that they will need to maintain to have success in the post season.  Additionally, we are not turning the ball over very much, which is evident in this game by our six total turnovers.  Our offense gives our players quite a bit of freedom and they are doing a great job of reading what the defense is giving them while working to get the best shot for our team in each possession.”
The Mt’neers opened the week by traveling to Lamar on Tuesday, Feb. 10 and came home with a 68-62 win.
Mt. Vernon led 15-13 after the first quarter but a 26-point second quarter really opened the game up for the Mt’neers, as they would head into the half with a 41-36 halftime lead. In the third quarter, the Tigers kept it close by scoring 14 points, but the Mt’neers answered with 15 points of their own to increase their lead to 56-49. In the final quarter of play, Lamar was able to outscore Mt. Vernon 13-12 but it would not be enough.
Griffin Cordray led Mt. Vernon with 22 points and Ty Eidemiller added 12 points in the game.
“This was a good road win for our group,” said Worley. “Lamar is a physical, athletic team that is hard to defend at the rim. I thought our guys embraced the environment and did the things it takes to win on the road. We kept our turnovers down, matched their physicality and rebounded the ball well. I also thought we did a great job of limiting Lamar from having many big runs. Hopefully we can build on this win and carry some momentum going into the last stretch of the season.”  
The Mt’neers are now 12-10 on the season and were scheduled to host Seneca last night before traveling to Forsyth on Friday night.